Benevolence
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Ichigo becomes more than a complete hollow in the shattered shaft. However, his personality doesn't really change that much, and his memories remain. A what-if scenario from Will you be my Queen. Dark Ichigoxharem.
1. Chapter 1

**a NEW AUTHOR'S Gonna be posting in a few days. her name is Shirosaki-sama, and she's a good friend of mine. Ya'll better be nice to her! Note: This is a divergence from will you be my queen. What would have happened if Ichigo remembered his human life, and wasn't polarized against it?**

**You'd be surprised.**

**--**

"You poor creature."

A hand was extended with those words, and the vasto lorde eyed it warily. "Come, Kurosaki." Beckoned the man. "I will give you back some semblance of your human form."

--

And then suddenly everything went blank.

As soon as he shook off the sudden urge to curl up somewhere and sleep, Ichigo realized that something warm and soft was crawling up his limbs; he looked down and saw countless streams of light gushing from the floor. Their every stroke brought solace and hope, their every withdrawal broke one's heart in many ways.

It must've been pure spiritual essence, for nothing else could ever caress Hollow's reiatsu-hardened skin so sensually.

Ichigo wanted to drown himself in this energy; the power manifested, the eternity itself. The trickles of energy avoided touching his mask, though; they restlessly tried to slide underneath the white of the bone. The Vasto Lorde levered up the mask with his massive arms; the essence slid under the opening, soothing the sharp pain. He heard somebody shout; the sudden noise echoed very close – too close – to him, destroying the blessed atmosphere of the moment.

An inch higher. A sharp cry, a litany of indistinguishable curses.

… _whyareyoudoingthistouswhathavewedoneWHATHAVEWEDONE..._

Two inches more. A wall of wails, a distinct crack of a bone.

… _wehaveaccompaniedyouWEWERESOCLOSETOYOUandnowyouaredoingthisstopnow..._

The streams of energy suddenly retreated, leaving Tesla in the middle of screaming voices. Alone.

… _stopnowstopnowstopnowNOWNOWNOW!_

And when he was about to give up, to let the mask go and make those ear-piercing noises vanish, after the last convulsive throw of his arms the mask broke and darkness engulfed everything

Mayble following him was a mistake.

--

"AGH!"

His howl of raw agony sounded like nails grating down on a chalkboard.

It was agonizing.

He screamed for what felt like a hellish eternity.

After the pain, he forced his eyes open, and blinked at the ceiling. The ceiling was completely unamazing, smooth, and stark white. He knew this ceiling, had woken up to see it many times before. But he couldn't figure out why he was looking at it.

Wasn't he dead?

"You're awake." a soft kind voice said, and he bolted upright, turned his head to see a...

Woman smiling at him.

"I'm alive?" He murmurred, one hand touching his face, where his mask should be.

It was there, or rather, _part of it was_. It was still there, but now only part of it covered his upper left face. On his right ear, at the area where you would get your ear pierced, the whole edge was covered in the remains of his mask, from the top to the bottom. The top then curved up and attached itself to his face, running down his cheek a bit. But not far enough to be very noticeable. He brought his hand up and touched it with his fingers. Most of the time he forgot it was even there.

But when he did it still seemed so foreign to him.

"Yes you are." She murmured, and placed a cool hand on his forehead.

She had flowing teal hair with bangs that fell into her eyes, and a skull mask with curved horns was intact on top of her head. Her face was even more beautiful up close, large viridian eyes looking over his bloody, scarred body with the utmost concern the spots of blush under her eyes adding a bit of innocence to her persona.

He could not help but notice that she was impressively well endowed.

She extended her other hand to him.

"My name is Neliel. Tercera espada."

Ichigo blinked, then noticed the number tattooed on his hand, when he went to shake with her.

It was a large black 1, in a gothic style.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

Only then did he realize he was naked, with only a sheet draped across his lower groin region.

He turned a deep red.

"Gah!"

Neliel tossed him a white jacket, black sash, and a white hakama which he hastily donned. Suddenly, he felt the strong desire NOT to expose himself like that ever again.

"Th-Thanks."

"The standard uniforms are too plain for my taste" remarked the pink haired man called _Szayel_ upon hearing that. "Besides, they won't complement his figure" he added with a small smirk, ogling Ichigo's figure from behind his spectacles-shaped mask. If the Hollows were able to blush, Ichigo would've blushed; yet they weren't and he was _grateful_ for this small convenience.

"The hierarchy of Las Noches is a rather simple issue" the older Arrancar began as Ichigo got dressed. Then, with Neliel, they were walking down the long corridor – or at least one of them walked. Getting used to a small, humanoid form was _not_ a simple issue, thought Ichigo as he stumbled forward, leaning heavily on the nearby wall.

Taking pity on him, Neliel draped one arm under his, and let him lean on her.

"Every Arrancar is assigned a number from eleven to ninety-nine, proportionally to the order in which he was born. You are currently bearing number...one, and it most likely won't change" Szayel continued without turning back to look at Ichigo and Nel. "Of course, the system has its faults. Take this failure of a brother, for example. His number is fifteen; yet he is _much_ younger than many of our higher-classed kinsmen" the Arrancar sighed with exasperation.

"Ichigo, do you think you are up to visitors?" Neliel asked this, curiously, kindly a sharp contrast to Szayel.

Ichigo looked at her strangely.

"Visitors?"

"Hai."

Aizen-sama wants you to pick out a fraccion." Szayel added this last part.

Ichigo did not seemed to pleased about this.

But then again, he didn't entirely understand it either.

"What in kami's name is a fraccion? And who the hell is Aizen-sama?"

Neliel giggled.

"You'll find out soon enough, Ichigo-kun."

"Indeed he will."

They now entered a room, and upon doing so, the first thing Ichigo saw was a massive sword.

"Ah, there he is." Commented Szayel, strolling over to the massive cleaver. With little difficulty, he hefted the blade up, and tossed it to Ichigo. The vasto lorde, now able to stand on his own, caught hastily.

Almost immediately, the cleaver was warm to the touch. This was no he. Everything about the blade felt distinctly feminine. It was a living part of himself, warm and pulsating under his fingers, clearly longing for his touch. Despite its obviously masculine appearance, its guard was elegant shaped like a curved, three pointed shuriken. **(No, its not Zangetsu)**

**Hello, Ichigo. **Purred a woman's voice, and he nearly yelped in surprise.

**I've been waiting for a long time.**

_'Wh-Who're you?"_

A laugh.

**"You may call me... Endriago." **The voice cooed.

Hold it, why the hell could he still have a zanpaktou?

He then turned to the door, as someone had knocked.

"Tell the new guy that we're having a meeting!" Came a harsh voice from the hall.

"Shut up Grimmjow." Neliel replied brightly, to the voice taking Ichigo's wrist and pulling him off the table upon which he had sat.

"We're coming!"

"Whoa-hey!"

Ichigo had no choice but to follow Neliel.

This was a very strange day.


	2. Of Bonds and Bones

**Note: Rukia still has bankai, and her inner hollow. Ashido will still appear, and Tatsuki will still possess her powers from 'will you be my queen'. Also, Ichigo will have an entirely new set of fraccion in this story, just to keep things interesting. And please review! I worked _so _hard on this!**

He was led into what _had_ to be a meeting room.

A table was stationed in the middle of it, with a few chairs here and there, ten overall.

Sitting at the table, were two men.

This first had wavy shoulder-length hair that was dark, unkempt, and parted down the middle. He also had a goatee. His clothing consisted of the regular Arrancar jacket, albeit with the collar upturned. A dark sash, was worn in a manner similar to a bullfighter or matador, placed about his waist near his Zanpakutō, completing his otherwise nondescript, ordinary, and harmless appearance. The remains of his Hollow mask consisted of a bottom jaw that was positioned like a necklace. His hollow hole was on his sternum, right below the tip of his mask. His Espada tattoo couldn't be seen.

He sat in a slouch, as if just _being here _was terribly boring for him. His entire being seemed to convey either a sense of easygoing...Or just plain ol' lazziness.

At the sound of Ichigo and Neliel's approach, he looked to the right, and straightened slightly. "Hello there." This was accompanied by a long yawn, one which made Ichigo sweatdrop, as the man made no effort to conceal his apparent boredom.

"Erm....hello." Replied the newly made arrancar.

"Stark, can't you at least be polite?" Boomed the man next to him.

The second individual was an elderly Arrancar with a large white mustache and white hair. His Hollow hole was not visible but the remnants of his mask took the form of a five pointed crown just above his forehead. His face was lined by large scars on the left side of his chin and across his right eye. Despite his aged appearance, he was quite stocky and muscular.

He wore a regal white leather coat with fur lining, short sleeves and three fur stripes running along the bottom. He also had an armband on both his wrists and a belt which consisted of three thick chains attached to a large metal disk with a sun emblem.

Surprisingly the man was much more than he appeared, as he now laughed jovially, extending a hand in greeting to the new arrancar. "Welcome to Las Noches, m'boy."

"Shaddap gramps."

The man laughed lightly, scratching the back of his head as he did so.

"Gramps? You're not the first to say that about me."

He made no effort to mention that he had killed most of those who had called him such, with Stark being the sole exception.

"Take it easy." Commented the slacker, as he leaned back in his chair.

"Starkie's right." Added Neliel. "This place might take some getting used to, but its not so bad once you do get used to it." She pursed her lips and seemed to think. "Plus, we're not exactly alone here either."

Ichigo remained silent, blinking once.

"Remember the fraccion, I mentioned to you?"

The strawberry blond nodded once.

"Yes...I recall you mentioning that."

Nel grinned brightly, as if nothing anyone could say or do, would ever hamper her optimistic nature. "Its like picking out your own friends! You can have as many as you want!"

Associating with _hollows_ was something...New to him. These formalities and small talk would take some getting used to. As would interacting with these _fraccion_ he was supposed to have. So would being on an actual _team_.

A small sigh escaped him.

_'Rukia..._

"So, its just the _four _of us now, huh?" Spoke Stark aloud, musing to himself.

The mention of numbers aroused Ichigo's curiosity. He held up his palm, exposing the tattoo there. "What does this number mean?" Stark's response was to blow a strand of hair away from his face.

"It signifies your rank. "Gramps is the fourth- He cast Neliel a glance. "She's the third, meaning you're stronger then her." He again sighed. "And I'm sure you can guess what _my_ rank is."

Stark removed the glove from his left hand when no response was forthcoming. In doing so, he exposed the number one tattooed upon the back of his hand. Ichigo was surprised to see a 2 there.

"Your the Primera. I'm the Segunda, Neliel is the Tercera, and gramps is the Cuarta." Stated Stark simply.

"Yes, for now." Came a voice.

Ichigo turned to see the shinigami from before, sitting on a throne that overlooked the table, which was now illuminated for them to see. A kindly smile graced his face. "Welcome to Las Noches, Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo just stared up at him. Kaname stiffened at the espada's lack of respect, but a look from Aizen told him to let it be.

He now descended from the throne, his hands in his pockets, clearly a gesture of peace. Upon taking his seat at the head of the table, he now gestured to it. "Come, my brother, sit. We have much to discuss, and I'm sure you have many questions to ask me."

Ichigo silently took a seat between Barragan and Neliel, both of whom he already felt comfortable around. The old man gave him a reassuring smile, one that reminded Ichigo of his father.

Relaxing leisurely in his throne, Aizen waved an arm about

"This...Ichigo, is Las Noches."

Aizen seemingly produced a cup from out of nowhere, and it contained steaming liquid of some kind or another. He seemed to notice the odd looks he was receiving from all but Stark, who was of course, too bored to care about it.

"But first, let us have tea."

This seemed to catch Ichigo's interest, and distracted him from his growling stomach.

As they drank, Aizen proceeded to explain his grand scheme.

This state of affairs was unseemly, and if the King of Soul Society failed to do anything about it, then it was left up to him. He then took some time to explain just what the King of Soul Society was, and how he, Aizen Sousuke, intended to achieve his goal. The way to do that was to make _himself _the King of Soul Society. Then he could make regular humans aware of the existence of both shinigami and hollow. The shinigami would be relegated to making sure wholes made it to soul society through konso.

The hollows would be sealed in Hueco Mundo, no one able to go in or out except a special gateway, infused with the King of Soul Society's power that would draw new hollows in. The Hogyoku would be placed in the gate, transforming hollows into arrancar that didn't need to feed on souls, and gave them back their intelligence, letting them create a new civilization in Hueco Mundo, separate from both the human realm and the Soul Society.

The three worlds would be at peace, with him ruling over them all.

A truly great plan to allow the three worlds to coexist.

"And of course the ten of you and your fraccion will have all your freedom to come and go as you please-

"Hold it." Ichigo's voice cut him off. "I see only _three_ of us here."

Aizen smiled lightly.

"You are correct, Ichigo."

He glanced towards the door.

"Enter."

The door opened, and several figures walked in.

The first was a relatively short and slender, yet fairly muscular, male Espada with a melancholic appearance, short, messy black hair, silver skin, and green eyes with slit pupils. He had teal lines that descend from his eyes, making it appear as if he were crying. He appeared to have a perpetual frown set into his face. He wore typical Arrancar clothes: a white jacket, black sash, and a white hakama. However, his jacket seemed to have longer coattails than others. Like most other Arrancar, he possesses remnants of his former life as a Hollow in his appearance. His mask fragments resembled a broken helmet.

Next was arguably one of the tallest characters in the room, His height was further emphasized by a very thin and lanky body. His face was currently set in a huge, disconcerting smile which revealed his upper-teeth. His messy black hair hung past his shoulders concealing the left side of his face along with a large white eyepatch.

His clothing consisted of a modified Arrancar jacket with an overblown spoon-like hood and an opening starting at the neckline showing most of his midsection and closes at his waist. He also wore the standard hakama but the ends of his pant-legs close inside his boots which are extended and curved at the end making it look like he is wearing wicked-witch boots.

Shortly after these two individuals took their seats, a much more feral looking individual followed.

He had light blue hair and eyes, which have blue/green lines below them similar to the eye markings on the _Panthera_ genus of cats. His attire consisted of a white _hakama _and a black sash; his white jacket was ragged with an upturned collar. The inner lining itself was black, the sleeves wererolled up, as he wore it open, leaving his chest revealed. The remains of his Hollow mask consisted of the right jawbone, and his hollow hole was visible at his abdomen.

He radiated an aura of bloodlust, as if he were just itching to fight.

The next two couldn't be more un-alike.

The next arrancar was tall, but he covered his face with a white mask sporting eight holes. In place of a normal head, he had a large, glass capsule filled with red liquid and two floating heads. His outfit like most Espada was customized; he wore a dress garb that covered his entire body as opposed to the normal jacket and _hakama_. He also wore a frilly nobles' coat as his replacement jacket and two white gentleman's gloves.

He paid little attention to Ichigo, but you couldn't really be sure, thanks to that plating he wore over his face.

Now, came a giant, dark-skinned, and rather stupid looking Arrancar with an odd, ridge-lined cranium bearing a resemblance to an Adjuchas-class Menos. He had long, bushy sideburns and a thin ponytail, but aside from that, he was bald. He also has bore red markings under his eyes. Like all Arrancar, he had a large hole signifying his previous time as a Hollow in his chest. What remained of his Hollow mask was the jawbone (complete with teeth), which rested on his chin.

Lastly, a woman entered the room.

She had dark skin, green eyes, spiky blonde hair with three prominently-displayed braided locks, and wore an oddly-cut variation of the Arrancar jacket that covers the lower part of her face downward, while baring a good portion of the lower half of her breasts; this jacket, unlike that of other Arrancar, is provided with a zipper running along its entire length that is opened from the bottom upwards. The jacket's sleeves completely enveloped her arms, terminating in black glove-like extensions at her extremities, which slightly gives her fingers the appearance of a cat's paws. Physically, she appeared to be just about as well-endowed as Rangiku Matsumoto. She carried her Zanpakutō on her back. The sword itself was notably broad and short compared to others, and has a western-style guard.

Her eyes met those of Ichigo for just a second, before they flickered away.

After everyone had taken their seats, Aizen finally spoke, introducing the arrancar.

"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves."

His gaze now strayed to the six other seats, and those that sat in them. He proceeded to introduce them, by speaking their name, and then the arrancar in question would identify his rank.

"Ichigo Kurosaki."

The strawberry blond removed the glove on his hand, and exposed his palm, with the number tattooed both on the back of his wrist. "Primera espada."

"Stark."

With a lazy yawn, the espada pulled aside his collar, to reveal the mark on his neck, a two. "Segunda espada.

"Neliel Tu Oderschvank."

The bubbly arrancar smiled and flashed everyone the peace sign. "Tercera espada."

"Barragan Luisenbarn."

The old man pulled aside the hair from the left side of his face, and in doing so, exposed his number, a four, tattooed just before where his ear would have started. "Cuarta espada."

"Ulquoirra Schiffer."

The palid espada inclined his head slightly. "Quinta espada."

"Grimmjow Jaggerjack."

The feral looking arrancar sneered at Ichigo as his name was spoken. "Sexta Espada."

"Halibel."

The tan blond folded both arms across her ample bosom. "Septima espada."

"Nnoitra Jiruga."

The lanky arrancar stuck out his tongue, revealing an eight tattooed there. "Octava espada."

"Aaroniero Arruruerie."

The espada removed the plating on his head, exposing two small skulls floating around in the liquid. Each was tatooed with a nine. The head spoke, and it was a disturbing combination of high and low pitch. "Novena espada."

"Yammy."

The huge hulking arrancar smirked arrogantly, and rolled up his sleeve to reveal the ten tattooed upon his left shoulder. He sounded even dumber than he looked, Ichigo mused. "Decima espada."

"These are the rest of your brethren, Ichigo. I would appreciate it if you would treat them with respect. You, Stark, and Neliel, You three are the top generals in my army."

The trio exchanged a glance.

"Army?" This question came from Neliel.

The shinigami with pale purple hair and the creepy grin chuckled.

Aizen continued speaking. "Many more will join us in time, Neliel." He seemed to pause for a moment, as if he were thinking of the proper response to give her. "It'll be like one big family."

This seemed to please her greatly, as a happy smile covered her innocent face.

"Except that this 'family' is going to war with the shinigami." Aizen had expected Ichigo to say that, but much to his surprise, and it took a _lot _to surprise him, it was _Stark_ who had said this.

The segunda was looking at him shrewdly, waiting for an answer to his question.

Gathering his composure, Aizen spoke again, and it was if nothing had happened.

"Yes, we will all be going to war soon." He paused, to let the weight of his words sink in. When winter comes, we will defeat the shinigami and make this world a better place for everyone."

"That's a few months from now, right?" Barragan asked.

Aizen nodded.

Neliel seemed a bit sad at this, but Ichigo seemed discontent.

"And... just how do you plan to go about this?"

"We will merely extend our hand, Kurosaki." Aizen spoke this benevolently. "We will offer our brethren the chance for freedom, and it will ultimately be their decision to-

"So that's it? Others are just gonna waltz on in and join us?" Grimmjow interrupted suddenly, sarcastic, incredulous, as if to say 'There's no way in hell that'll work!' "You make it sound _so_ simple."

Aizen templed is fingers beneath his chin, then leaned on them. "Not _all_ will come to us, Grimmjow. We may have to come to some of _them_." He was clearly referring to the three before him, as he had personally gone out to ask for their help. Though they would likely not refer to him as 'Aizen-sama' like the other, lower ranks doubtlessly would.

However, he had his own ways of keeping tabs on them, of keeping them in line. Kurosaki was the only problem in that regard. The vasto lorde honestly didn't have a clue what was going on, and was clearly in the dark about the entire scheme.

His memories were intact, meaning he still had a sense of right and wrong...However, thanks to the actions of Byakuya Kuchiki, the strawberry blond doubtlessly had a negative view towards shinigami.

Perhaps it was for the best that he allowed Kuchiki Rukia to live. This way, it could not be said that he was anything other than a good samaritan, simply offering to restore Ichigo's human form. If he was content here, and believed his friends to be dead...

Then what reason would there be for him to leave?

Cunning strategist that he was, Aizen Sosuke could easily guess at what Ichigo wanted. To the untrained eye, Ichigo seemed to be a simple vasto lorde.

This was not the case.

And that he had evolved from a mere hollow into a vasto lorde, in a _week..._

Well, that was nigh unheard of. No, it could most certainly be said that Ichigo was not after power. Actually, as far as the mastermind could tell, Ichigo wasn't really after anything. That in of itself, was what made him so easy to manipulate.

Urahara had been a _fool _to let this one slip. This shattered shaft of hia had done more than _fail_to restore the boy's shinigami powers, more than turn him into a hollow. Instead, it had brought the boy right to him.

He had power, he had the strength...That left only one thing one weakness in his otherwise impenetrable armor. And it was the most trivial of things. He had often seen this particular vasto lorde staring up at the night sky on his brief visits here.

He was...

Lonely.

He could tell Ichigo was upset, even as he sat across him at the table. The human part of Kurosaki was lonely, and coupled with his hollow half, that loneliness was amplified _tenfold_. Ichigo Kurosaki doubtlessly knew himself to be human, but the pain of not being accepted, or likely even seen by his friends...

It seemed to have driven him into an overly depressed and perhaps even obnoxious state.

Regardless, it was clear he desired companions, friends to say the least.

He could supply the boy with that much, in _spades._

As long as he kept Ichigo content, he wouldn't have to worry about the vasto lorde rising up against him, or so he reasoned. Indeed, if he could keep Ichigo _occupied, _then he would keep him here. So long as he thought he _belonged_, all was well.

"Ichigo, have you chosen your fraccion yet?"

The espada looked up at the sudden question.

"No...What the hell _is _a fraccion anyway?"

Aizen's smile seemed genuine now. Seemed was the key word. This shinigami didn't have a decent bone in his body, nor the slightest shred of decency.

"Perhaps an elaboration is needed?"

Ichigo's mind was currently elsewhere.

_'I wonder how Rukia's doing...._

He could still feel some indication of her reaitsu, which meant she was still alive. Had someone stopped the execution? Unfortunately, reflecting on the subject made him uneasy.

_'Orihime, Chad,Uryuu...I wonder if they're-_

Aizen rose from his chair, and for the third time that day, Ichigo was dragged out of his musings, this time, by the shinigami's hand on his shoulder. "Come, Kurosaki. I shall take you to choose them." Stated the former captain.

Ichigo blinked a few times, but got up all the same, as everyone dispersed. This left the two of them alone in the throne room. Suddenly uneasy, he shrugged off Aizen's hand.

"Them?"

Aizen kept himself from smiling.

"Of course. There are others who have come, seeking power." They were now walking, crossing a corridor. Ichigo recognized this passage as the one he had come down about an hour ago. However, this time they kept walking, and upon arriving at a pitch black door, Aizen opened it. Ichigo recognized the room as the one he had been in when he woke up. They entered, and headed left, walking down a hall.

"Fraccion are those who serve the espada. You may think of them as your own personal servants. You are allowed to choose as many, or as few as you like." Stated Aizen. "Some of the espada have as many as twelve."

The concept of having an underling was a bit unnerving for Kurosaki Ichigo. He wasn't exactly fond of

They entered a room, and found someone else waiting for them...

It was Szayel.

Ichigo now took the opportunity to take in the arrancar's appearance.

He had shoulder-length pink hair and amber eyes. The remains of his hollow mask took the form of rectangular-framed glasses, giving him a scholarly appearance. The placement of his Hollow hole and Espada number were both unknown.

His clothes differ from the original Arrancar dress. Instead of a normal jacket, he wore a long shirt that covers all of the skin up to the top of his neck. He wore the regular pants, with slight length taken away, making them shorter then the others. His face was the only part of his body that is exposed in this uniform.

"Ichigo, this is Szayel Aporro Granz." Stated Aizen, introducing the two.

"We've met." Replied Ichigo cooly.

"He is not yet an espada, but I would like you to treat him with respect."Continued Sosuke. His gaze traveled to the arrancar. "I expect the same of you, Szayel."

The man bowed.

"Of course, Aizen-sama."

He led them to another room. Upon entering, they were met with a series of five doors. Each one was drab and nondescript, but Aizen directed their attention to the door in the middle.

He grasped the onyx black handle, and opened the doorway.

The room within...

There was nothing to be seen, for it was dark. But this was no ordinary darkness, it was pitch black, darker than a night without the moon. A deep sense of foreboding filled Ichigo, and he was left ill at ease.

He could sense some small reaitsu's in there, but there was also a thick and _powerful _reaitsu emanating from within that cavernous space. It seemed to dwarf all the others, and-

"GIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Something screamed, and the other weaker energies were abruptly gone. A satisfied growl was heard from the room, and Ichigo looked down to see a skull roll to his feet, evaporating seconds later.

"Whomever you choose will be made into an arrancar." Stated Szayel calmly, glancing at the other quartet of doors, which remained to be open."I will conduct the procedure."

Aizen turned to go.

"I wish you well, Kurosaki."

Regardless of whom Ichigo chose for his fraccion, it mattered not.

He was already ensnared within the web.

The strawberry blond grunted in response. Now, he stared into the dark room. The abysmal blackness seemed to stretch on forever. It was if there was simply no end to it.

Another low growl emanated from within.

Ichigo grit his teeth, and drew Endriago from his back.

"Good luck." Commented Szayel from behind him.

And then he descended into the darkness.

--

The moment he was past the frame, the door slammed shut behind him.

He was trapped here.

Almost immediately, a chill ran up his spine.

Endriago's voice resounded in his mind.

_Don't panic. Stay focused._

The low growl abruptly morphed into a roar, just as something sank its teeth into his leg! Ichigo winced, expected to lose a hunk of flesh, but instead, his attacker yowled in pain, and there was the sound of steel meeting something rough.

_Now! _

It leapt away as his zanpaktou cut the spot where it had been. As it was swung, Endriago emitted a faint ruby red light from her tip, illuminating his attacker but briefly.

It was a hollowish beast, similar to that of a sabertooth tiger. And it had some broken teeth. Its left fang was broken at the tip, whilst the right was cracked. Needless to say, it was not to happy.

A sharp hiss permeated the darkness, and it recoiled from the light.

Ichigo looked down at his leg, and saw in her light, that aside for the torn fabric, he was entirely alright.

_That's Hierro, Ichigo. Your skin is harder than diamond now._

As if sensing his thoughts, she spoke.

_Behind you!_

Another red light lit the darkness, and Ichigo whirled around just in time-

To _catch _a cero in the palm of his hand.

Almost immediately, he was amazed. This energy was akin to that of the menos grande he had encountered in Karakura, but now, he could actually _hold _the energy in his bare palm, without being harmed. Before, an attack like this would've vaporized him. Now, though it danced and sparked furiously in his hand, he received only the slightest of tingling sensations.

Not wasting a second, the tiger pounced!

Endria caught it through the shoulder, pinning it to the floor.

For what had to be the first time, Ichigo looked closely at his zanpaktou.

She was slim, yet large and slender at the same time. Her very tip was where the reishi was emanating from. The blade itself, was a pure onyx black, but at its very edges, the faintest trace of red could be seen. This was her aura. The hilt itself was inlaid with a red dragon's crest, in laid against the black wrapping of her hilt.

She would have to be a longsword, at best guess. And what a sword she was. Her entire form seemed to pulsate at his touch, and with every swing of the blade, no matter how slight, she seemed to sing.

A small laugh distracted him.

_I'm glad you admire my form, but shouldn't you finish what you started?_

"Oh! Almost forgot."

Moving with surprising agility, Ichigo slammed the cero in his palm, down into the feline's back, drawing a pained shriek from its maw, and scalding its skin. It got back up, but cold steel met bone and flesh, and the beast fell back down to the floor.

It hissed and whined in pained protest, but after a moment, lay still.

Ichigo thought he had killed it, leaned forward to inspect it-

_Careful Ichigo! This one is not entirely what it seems!_

The warning came just in time, as he sprang back to avoid being rent in two by its claws. As it was, he received a thin scratch across his cheek. It would seem that Hierro was not _entirely_ invulnerable.

An unnatural fury gripped him, as he looked down at the blood dribbling from his cheek.

"You...

His spiritual pressure quadrupled in a second, buckling the adjuchas to the floor.

"STAY DOWN!" He bellowed harshly, as the hollow tried to rise, only to falter, and fall in a position reminiscent of a bow.

Szayel emerged through the wall door.

"Good, you have immobilized her. Now, hold her still."

Ichigo did so, and Szayel pressed a small sphere to the face of the adjuchas. It screamed, but as it did, its mask broke, revealing golden yellowish eyes, an almost honeysuckle amber color.

Then the resulting wave of reaitsu blinded them both.

When the steam cleared, a young woman was revealed.

"Speak your name, bitch." Commanded Szayel.

"Ggio...She murmurred under her breath. "Ggio Vega."

Szayel smirked.

"And who do you serve, Ggio Vega?" When she did not answere, the scientist went on to elaborate his point. "Who is it that you pledge your eternal loyalty, faithfulness and _entire being_ unto?"

Her amber eyes, alike to those of Yoruichi, were raised to meet Ichigo's own muddy brown. When she spoke, it was with a tone of reverence, as if she were speaking to a great ruler, rather than a simple comrade.

"I live to serve his majesty, the one who has bested me." She made it clear to whom she was referring, when she bowed her head lower still, until her eyes were hidden in the shadows. "I shall serve Ichigo Kurosaki with every fiber of my being, until my life is extinguished."

Ggio was a short fracción, standing around 4'11. She was a slim arrancar with scruffy dark hair, a short braided ponytail, and a rather youthful, feminine face, similar to Soifon. The remnants of her Hollow mask resembled the skull of a Sabre-tooth tiger, and is worn like a helmet. Her Hollow hole was not visible.

Ichigo blinked once, then twice, as the mist cleared away.

Finally he realized it.

She was naked.

"Gah! Clothes! Get some clothes on!"

--

She wore the white standard Arrancar uniform but it was customized and partly resembles a mandarin-style jacket with a small opening at the chest area, exposing her breasts slightly. Her sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, along with an upturned collar and _hakama_; all of which like other Arrancar's clothing are white. Her shoes resembled traditional martial arts training shoes.

She patted herself off, and looked up when the door opened.

Almost immediately, she went to one knee, her head inclined in reverence.

"Ichigo-sama!"

"Wha-hey! Why the hell're you kneeling?!"

She blinked.

"Nani?"

He was looking at her strangely.

"C-C'mon, get up!"

She did so.

"What would you have me do, Ichigo-sama?"

Now Ichigo _did_ blush, much to his dismay.

"Stop calling me that!"

"Hai, Ichigo-sama."

The strawberry blond facefaulted.

"What did I just tell you?!"

She hung her head.

"Suimasen."

He patted her on the head.

"Let's go. I still have three more doors to open."

--

He exited the transformation room, and Ggio was leaning on him heavily.

She found the concept of a light, human body disconcerting. Standing upright was the least of her worries. She was used to walking on all fours and now had no paws to rest on, and no tail to keep her balanced! Honestly, how did humans live like this!

Waiting for them, was a young looking female Arrancar. Her outfit was quite revealing, consisting of little more than a pair of briefs and a vest strapped over her torso, with her hollow hole positioned prominently in the center of the outfit. She also wore thigh-length boots and sleeve-like gloves that only covered the lower half of her hands and reached up just past her elbows. Her mask fragment takes the form of a helmet, similar to Ulquiorra Schiffer's but intact. Its left horn appears to have been cut off, and a sort of eyepiece also extended to stop just above her left eye, decorated with a flame-like pattern. She also had light green hair and pink eyes, both of which were visible.

"How's she doing, Ichigo?" The girl asked.

The primera shrugged.

"How's it _look _like she's doing, Lillenette?"

"Bad." Commented the spunky girl.

Ggio looked at her fellow fraccion with something akin to disgust.

How _dare _she not refer to him as Ichigo-sama!

"Well, I'll leave you two to chat." He said this hastily, as he approached one of the doors. He could sense a catfight brewing, and he had no desire to take a part of it. Actually, the concept of having fraccion wasn't nearly so bad. He certainly didn't intend to make them his slaves, but rather...

His friends.

Provided they didn't kill each other first.

He grasped the handle, entered-

And found himself in a place all too familiar.

A town.

And not just any town.

He looked around the snowy landscape, but it was completely and totally recognizable. He looked around, and people walked past him, by him...

And through him.

He did a double take as he saw a pallid image of Urahara Shoten behind him. He tried to walk towards it, but bounced off a barrier. In doing so, he received a good solid jolt, as well as the sound of an amused giggle.

This was...

"What the...I'm in Karakura town?!"

"Not really." Commented a voice, echoing over his shoulder.

A blue blur shot past his side, poking him in the ribs.

"Let's play a game." Taunted another.

"What the-I don't have time for games!"

A red blur, darted past his vision, snatching at his zanpaktou, but he yanked it away from the thief's grasp.

"The hell is this?!" Show yourselves!"

"Very well then." They replied in unison, skidding to a halt before him.

One had red hair, the other, blue.

Twinds?

There were the remnants of a mask upon her face, positioned over her brilliant red hair which cascade long and loose over her back, whislt her mask extended over the back of her head, into a spike that hooked to the right, much like an arrow, but smoother, and just one spike.

In her hand, was a thin, short pole, with a red tassle at the end.

She was clothed in tattered white rags, one of which was a mere skimpy strip of bandage around her chest, which fit tightly around her well rounded, firm double C breasts, that did not leave much to the imagination.

The only other semblance of clothing, were torn and tattered bleach rags that ran over her backside, but even these were stretched taut against her lovely frame.

She raised her head up now, and opened her eyes, revealing them to be bright red, much like her hair.

The other had blue eyes, and a whip coiled in her hand.

"Ying." Said the one with red hair

"Yang." Said the other.

"If you can catch us-Started the other-

"-Then we'll lend you our strength." Finished the other.

Thus far, he had determined both were obviously female.

"We won't let you out until you play-They started again, but a massive spike of killer intent silenced them.

"Fine," Ichigo grumbled under his breath. "What kind of game're we talkin' about here?"

"Hide and seek!" They both answered gleefully, and he stumbled back forward a step as they shoved him from behind. He whirled about to see the blurs of red and blue darting into the heart of the town.

"And you're it!"

"H-Hey! No fair getting a head start!"

_My my, they're energetic. _Remarked Endria as he gave chase...

--

She entered, and almost immediately, a voice greeted her.

Eight figures stared down at her, each with a look of either mild interest, or outright sympathy.

"Looks to me like ya finally decided to join us...

She remained silent as one of them, a man wearing an almost jazzy outfit and cap smirked down at her.

"...Kuchiki Rukia."

**o_O rukia training with the vizards already? uh-oh. You better review! I worked _really_ hard on this!**


	3. Of Love for an Espada

"Oi! Get back here!" Cried Ichigo, as he sprinted down the alleyway.

"You have to catch us first!" They giggled.

"Damnit, hold still!"

"Never!"

These two were fast!

His hand brushed the long locks of Ying's crimson hair-

"Too slow Ichi!" She teased, and he felt flat on his face as she poured on an extra burst of speed, tearing out of sight. Picking himself up, he grumbled as he watched the fireball ricochet off a building, then disappear from view accompanied by a bolt of lightning.

"This isn't working! I'm running around in circles!"

_Ichigo._

"Hmm?"

_Allow me. _Purred Endriago, her tip glowing a bright red.

"What're ya gonna do?" He asked.

_Tell me, did Rukia ever teach you kido?_

"Erm, no."

A laugh, soft and melodious, as the sword began to dissolve, leaving nothing but the hilt behind. And it was the hilt that now molded over his right hand, almost like a second skin.

When she was finished, Endria now resembled the glove Rukia had worn. However, instead of the skull sigil, there was red dragon crest upon the palm, and a blue dragon emblazoned upon the back. Furthermore, the fingers themselves were not revealed, but were fully coated in the mesh-like fabric.

Both of the crests glowed their respective colors.

"Whoa...He breathed out, as he flexed his fingers, then curled his hand into a fist-

"OI!" He exclaimed as a ball of red fire exploded from his fist. Though it was small in shape and size, it proved to be much more then it seemed shortly after its release. For when it connected with a nearby building....

A large smoking hole was where the home had been.

Ichigo stared at his gloved hand in awe.

He was now afraid to unclench his hand.

_This is my true ability. I can create any sort of Kido your mind could possibly conjure up._

He ruefully recalled when Rukia had paralyzed him with kido.

What was that spell called again?

_Ah, you must be referring to Bakudo #1: Sai._

"Wait a sec, so you can make any kind of spell?"

_Of course not! Even I have a limit!_

"Sorry...He grumbled under his breath. Some small part of him found it rather funny that he was arguing with a sword. The rest of him was just plain ol' pissed off.

_It's alright. _She replied softly, and he nearly jumped out of his skin, when he felt a hand touch his own. _I do have a limit but its based on your concentration. For now, lets try to work on the basics, shall we? Then after we've caught those two, I can begin to teach you my other skills..._

The strawberry sweat-dropped at the thought of what else she might possibly have up her sleeve. Those images made him shiver briefly, and were not pleasant. "W-Wait a sec! You mean this isn't your _only_ talent?!"

A laugh, and he suddenly felt the distinctive feeling of someone nuzzling their face against his. It was as if a person was rubbing her face up against his, but playfully so. It was a soft, warm feeling, rather pleasant actually.

_Of course not. What kind of zanpaktou would I be if I was only a one hat trick?_

However, he simply could not see the individual, whom he now assumed to be his zanpaktou. Clenching his eyes, he could make out an outline....But the feeling and hazy image abruptly left him, as the glove started to pulsate a bright white color.

He held it up before his face, and gazed upon its power.

_Now w__atch closely, my dear Ichigo. You're about to get a crash course in soul reaper magic..._

---

"I'll get you this time!" He declared as he chased after the twins, both of whom had easily outrun him thus far. Yang seemed content to run around all day, but her sister sensed something amiss...

And she was right.

In a blur of static accompanying his Sonido, Ichigo stood before them.

He held up his right hand, mumble a few words under his breath, then:

"Bakudo #8: Seki!"

The sisters had time for one consecutive thought.

_'Kido?!'_

With a powerful snap hiss, a barrier sprang into view before them, encompassing the entire street. Had they been moving at a more leisurely pace, the twins could have easily taken to the skies.

That is, had they been able to do so.

No, they were sprinters, the concept of flight was as alien to them as their opposing elements. And if by some miracle they _could_ fly, they were simply moving too fast to change their pace on a dime like that.

Yang abruptly slammed into a orange circular surface, receiving a mild shock as she did so. Before Ying could slow her headlong run, she too had slammed into the shield, and as a result, was numbed by the resulting shock.

But Ichigo was not done yet. Casting his gloved hand about, he briefly used his spiritual pressure to pin them down. The trick didn't last long, and they were already preparing to run-

But then again, he had been expecting that.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat!"

He wore a small smirk as they tore past him.

He slapped the gloved palm upon the ground, opened his hand, and and uttered:

"Bakudo #9: Geki!"

It was a massive wave of red energy, which unlike the previous uncontrolled burst, had a target and purpose. It sped along the ground, spread out to the streets-

And found its target.

The twins dropped like a sack of potatoes, as the red light bound their feet.

A bead of sweat dripped off Ichigo's brow.

_Marvelous! That was absolutely marvelous! _Endria's praise echoed in his ears as he got off his knee and stood up. He looked down at the glove that was Endria.

"Can you change back? I think those spells sucked me dry."

_That's why they were so effective! You put so much reishi into the actual spells themselves, that you tripled their power a hundred fold! You needn't worry about them escaping. Not even you could break free from a spell like that, if you were to somehow cast it on yourself._

"Is...that a bad thing?"

_Not at all! For you to still be standing is a feet in of itself! And those were the lowest level spells! _

"So I need more control?"

_In time, _she replied as the glove molded and fleshed itself out, returning the elegant shape of a katana. _You have the reaitsu to perform the Hado spells, we just need to work on your control for the Bakudo._

"Agh...More lessons...Groaned the espada.

_You still want to be able to stand after a spell, don't you?_

"Yeah-

_What if you encountered a strong opponent, or worse, a group of strong enemies? Regardless If you have the energy to pin them all down, or incinerate them in one blast, without control, you'd practically kill yourself! Especially if you were fool enough to attempt a Kurohitsugi!_

"Kuro-what?"

_Nevermind. _She sighed. _For now, get over and tag those two._

He staggered over to them, and smirked.

"Well well well, what do we have here?"

They both struggled against the bindings, but it was no use.

He raised his blade...

And lightly tapped each one on the forehead.

"Tag."

--

Ichigo returned from the door.

Another opened just as he emerged.

Yang came from behind him, and it was Ying who appeared through the newly opened portal. The two sisters hugged each other the moment they registered each other's presence.

Ggio frowned slightly.

They looked to mere teenagers!

Granted, she didn't look to be much older, but still-

"Ichigo-sama-

No. if this was what his majesty wanted, then who was she to interfere?

"Lillenette, could you keep an eye on them for me?" Asked Ichigo.

Stark's fraccion seemed to pout.

"Why do I have to do it? You're not the boss of me, and I only followed you here cuz I was curious!"

"Then do it because I asked nicely!" Snapped Ichigo. "I still have another door or two to go through and-

"Oh please, you needn't bother." Came a voice from the last unopened door.

It now creaked open, and a young woman emerged.

"I'll come to you."

Like Neliel, the remnants of her mask were positioned upon her head. Unlike Neliel, this arrancar had her mask remnants, for it certainly did not look to be a fragment, in the shape of a scorpion.

Her eyes were large, golden glassy orbs, set in a calm serene face. Her hair was short, above shoulder length, and a dark, dark black color. Around her neck, she wore a white choker, with black outlines.

From there, well, let us just say there was very little fabric to be seen. Her shoulders and arms were laid bare, except for her hands, which ended in a strange pair of gloves with blackish white cuffs.

Her chest was covered by a thin, barely there, upper body corset. It seemed to be solely supported by her breasts, as it had been designed to be open at the back, and only a thin fabric line kept it in place.

Her hollow hole was actually visible, just below her navel, where her belly button would have been. Her curved hips were ironically not exposed, as she wore a pair of shorts that covered them, whilst giving little attention to the dip of her waist. This was where she had her zanpaktou, as it was sheathed as a short-sword on the small of her back **(Similair to Soi-Fon's)**

However, any attempt at modesty was made forfeit when the shorts ended _several _inches above her knees. In doing so, this exposing long and shapely legs, another defining feature of her flawless body. Her feet ended in what looked like black feminine boots with white lines, and seemed to somehow compliment her sparse outfit.

Her lips curved upward in a small smile as she beheld Ichigo, who by this point, was trying his best _not _to get a nosebleed. He failed in part, as a thin line of blood ran down his nose, before being sucked back in.

He pressed a hand to her lips and laughed softly. It was an enchanting tune, spellbinding, hypnotic and entrancing. With slow and steady steps, she crossed the distance that separated them, deliberately _avoiding_ the use of Sonido.

"I take it you are to be my master?" She asked this when she stopped less than a foot away from him.

Ichigo could only nod dumbly.

"Very well then, my name is Luna. I am fully at your service, Ichigo Kurosaki."

A knock on the far door drew everyone's attention.

"Yo! Get your ass out here Kurosaki! You can pick your fraccion later!"

Lillenette rolled her eyes...

Ichigo just entered through the wall, bursting a small hole in it, through which he and his fraccion stepped through, followed by the cheeky girl. Of course, the strawberry was quick to take note of how Grimmjow stared at the four girls, and his brow twitched in annoyance. "Something wrong, Grimmjow?"

"Shaddap. We're having a meeting."

"About?" The primera asked as they walked down the halls.

"Ulquiorra checked out some shinigami. Kept talking about how she was trash...

"Heh. Should be interesting...

**Oho! Enter Rukia! For a pic of what my O.C. arrancar looks like, go here. Arrancar Girl by ~corvux-corax. **

**Next time: Of Vizards and arrancar. The invasion begins, and old friends reunite as enemies! And Ichigo's last fraccion is...**


	4. Mysterious Fraccion

**Note: For those of you who are confused, i'm going to clear up a few things. Ichigo is still a hollow. His zanpaktou is different then most, due to the fact that he was originally a shinigami before becoming a hollow. And yes, he does still have resurrecion...and bankai. And don't worry about Aizen.**

**I have my own plans for him...**

Midway through their walk, they passed a room.

Out of mild curiosity, Ichigo poked his head in.

Ying and Yang did so a second later

"Ow...Started the redhead-

"That had to hurt." Finished her sister.

Ggio shook her head, and Luna rolled her golden eyes.

"Fool. He had it coming, underestimating a shinigami."

Ichigo could not help but grimace at what he saw.

It was Yammy.

The brutish man was holding one of his arms.

In his hand.

It had been lopped off.

"Oi, Grimmjow, Lillenette. I'll catch up. Tell them to wait."

"Tch, whatever."

"Sure thing Ichigo!"

_Shall we, Ichigo? _

_"Eh?"_

_Healing this wound is well within the range of my power. __Are you sure you want to help him?_

_"He's my comrade, isn't he? Its the right thing to do."_

"Dude, what happened to you?" He asked, entering the room.

"Shinigami." Grumbled the decima, clutching the still bleeding stump of his arm. It had been completely severed, leaving very little of the limb under the shoulder. To top it off, the remains of the arm was covered in ice.

"You were overconfident, fool." Ggio admonished him. "You overestimated your power, and this is what happened to you." A glare from her master caused the tigress to fall silent.

"Here, lemme see." Prodded Ichigo, holding a hand out to Yammy.

Yammy blinked stupidly, turning to show him the wound.

"Good. Now hand it over."

"Huh?"

"He means your arm, stupid." Luna all but snapped.

"What're ya gonna do-

Ichigo snapped his fingers.

"Ying, Yang."

The former smote the decima hard over the head, dazing him. As this happened, the latter leapt over his shoulder, took advantage of the opportunity, then snatched the dismembered limb away.

Yammy spat a curse and swiped at them with his remaining arm. But by the then, the twins had already returned to Ichigo's side. He was given the

"Stupid. I'm gonna _reattach_ it."

Yammy wasn't that dense.

"Dumbass! What makes you think you can-

Faster than the eye could see, Luna's hand lashed out to seize his collar. With a sharp tug, she brought him down to the primera's level. Ggio followed this up by pulling the long ponytail in which he kept his hair. Her actions jerked his head back, and gave him a good look at what Ichigo was about to do.

"I said...

The espada drew his blade, and Yammy stiffened. "W-Wait a sec!" Like liquid metal, the zanpaktou flowed over his hand, forming the glove. With a visible effort and a grunt, the espada did not move.

"Hold still."

A white light crept up from his hand, breaking the ice apart. Brown eyes closed as he began to form some semblance of a spell deep within the confines of his mind. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Ichigo inhaled deeply, then exhaled.

_"Alright, I want to heal his arm..._

A painful jolt shot through him, traveling up and down the lenght of the steel. His arm, abruptly moving of its own accord, slapped the limb back into place, as if was going to be glued there.

_This is my second ability. Say:_

"Weep: Endriago." He uttered the words slowly, and it sounded almost natural to him. The glove abruptly extended its mesh-like material to the arm of Yammy, then to the espada's shoulder.

Wires or pure energy sprang out of the steel, and fastened themselves to the split.

And just like that, it was over.

Ichigo pulled his arm away, and Endriago returned to her sealed state. He slid her back into her sheathe, and sighed. Yammy stared down at his arm, dumbfounded. He flexed the fingers into a fist, then uttered a surprised curse.

"Shit...

But Ichigo was the one who was _truly_ surprised.

_"Wait, was that your final release?"_

She laughed.

_Far from it. You have_ much _to learn before I release myself fully...._

It was reattached.

"Better?"

Yammy's response was to swing at the wall.

It crumbled before his fist even hit it.

"Haha! Its even better than before!

Ichigo was met with a lopsided grin, one he returned in kind.

"Thanks, Kurosaki. Yer not so bad, I guess."

"Meh, no problem." Its what friends do."

"Eh?"

Ichigo sweatdropped.

"Oh come on! Don't tell me you've never had a friend?!"

"No." Muttered Yammy darkly. "I haven't."

"Its true." Luna replied. "As menos, gillian, even adjuchas, most of us strive only to get stronger. We do not care for the bonds of friendship. It is only when we reach the state of vasto lorde-

"That you actually have any sort of positive emotions?" Szayel _must_ have mentioned to him at some point. But now, given the time to actually think of int Ichigo was repulsed by the fact. "That's a load of bull!"

"Not really." Murmurred the twins. "Regardless of our class, once we become arrancar, a hollow acquires not only human _form_, but some semblance of human feelings as well."

"And besides, like any other being, we wish to _live_." Ggio mumbled this under her breath. Her cheeks turned a bright pink as the gaze of her master was directed her way.

Under his scrutinizign stare, she felt _this _big.

"Say...that again." His tone held an air of surprise to it, as if he had stumbled upon some sudden revelation.

"Live. We simply want to live, just like anyone else."

Ichigo extended his hand in a fist, looked at it, then shivered.

"Live...

He was beginning to see things in a different light.

Perhaps not _all_ hollows were as bad as they seemed. During his month with Rukia, the hollows he had come across had been anything but kind. It led him to believe that they were inherently evil, and therefore needed to be destroyed.

He hadn't known _what_ to think when he became a full hollow in the shattered shaft. One minuted, he'd been screaming his lungs out, then he came out of the pit. Hell, it was a miracle in of itself that Urahara took pity on him to send him here.

He hadn't even thought about it until just recently.

Orihime's brother, Neliel, Barragan, Stark, his own fraccion...

They were all prime examples of simple, ordinary people, the few among many, that possessed even a shred of decency. Sora hadn't wanted to become a monster, but was turned against his will. His fellow arrancar were likely not such a case, but unless they were putting up a _very_ clever act, then it was quite likely they were just in this because they had simply had nowhere else to go.

Maybe it was the Soul Society that had it all wrong. They killed hollows indiscriminately, even going as far as to come from behind and lop of the head. Rukia had told him that it spared you the pain of knowing your victim's identity. Granted, they did purify them, but in doing so, the soul would likely be lost from his loved ones...

Forever.

He seriously needed to rethink things.

But now was not the time to do so.

"Alright, we've kept Aizen waiting long enough."

_--_

"Ah, there you are Ichigo." Spoke Aizen from his throne. "And I see you have brought Yammy as-

A silence fell in the throne room as everyone saw the perfectly reattached limb of the decima espada. It had been made common knowledge that Yammy had gone and got his arm sliced off, but even their best medic would have taken a _week _to sow back on the arm.

And yet here he was, entirely alright.

Shaking it off, Aizen spoke again.

"Alright Ulquiorra. Please show us what you experienced in the world of the living."

"Yes sir."

Ichigo arched an eyebrow when he reached up to his eye. With a sick, wet plopping sound, he removed the eye, and held it out in his hand. Clenching his fingers into a fist, he crushed it into the palm of his hand, and a fine, grainy powder sparkled about.

"Please...see for yourselves."

Ichigo looked on in amazement as the dust flitted about.

"Sugoi...

A grainy image now appeared before everyone. After a moment, it focused into crystal clear clarity. He watched as Yammy sucked the souls of several humans, then complained at their taste. This caused him to frown slightly.

The pictured zoomed in as Yammy approache done of the humans. She had gotten up on her hands and knees, and looked about to pass out. She stared up at Yammy with raw terror in her eyes.

"Trash." The imaged projected sound as well.

Brown eyes tripled, as he recognized just who it was.

_"Tatsuki! That's Tatsuki!"_

_Ichigo, calm down!_

_"B-But-_

He looked on in muted horror, as Inoue and Chad arrived to stop Yammy from killing her. Orihime now took Tatsuki and ran away. Chad raised his arm, and the limb transformed.

"This one is trash as well." The image boomed out in Ulquiorra's voice.

Yammy laughed and came at Chad with incredible speed. They exchanged some blows briefly, with Chad even socking him hard in the face at one point-

But a simple hit from a bala enhanced fist ripped his arm off. He fell to the ground, and not a second later, Orihime came running back into the video.

She deflected a punch with a technique she called Sante Kesshun, then used something called Sonte Kesshun to place what looked to be an orange dome around Chad.

As he looked on, the lost arm began to actually regenerate.

For a moment, Ichigo relaxed.

That is, until Orhime fired off what looked like a small dart like object at Yammy. It broke quite easily when blocked, and Yammy now stood over her menacingly. "Should I rip her arms off and bring her with us?" He asked.

"No. Kill her."

Yammy lunged towards her with an open hand and Ichigo was certain that Orihime was about to die. Closer, closer still, the offending limb came, and Orihime closed her eyes, screaming someone's name-

It was all he could do to not leap up right then and there.

That is, until a pure white blade stopped Yammy's hand.

"That's as far as you go." Snapped a voice.

The vision angle did not allow him to see who it was, but her voice made her a dead giveaway.

Yammy stepped back, and his suspicions were confirmed.

_"Rukia! When did she get her powers back?!"_

"That's her. It seems your senseless floundering has lured her out." Stated Ulquiorra.

"So, you're the one who took Yastura's right arm?"

She held out her blade.

"Then I'll take _your_ arm."

What she said next surprised Ichigo, and would be scarred into his mind for eternity.

"BANKAI!" The word ripped from her mouth!

The ground beneath her feet abruptly froze in a mile wide circle, forcing Yammy and Ulquiorra to jump back a step. Less than a second later, the ice itself drew in from the circle, and swallowed her up in the thick, opaque crystal.

Both arrancar landed, and looked on.

Ichigo was fearful that she had just killed herself.

For a second, she just remained like that.

Frozen.

Then...

She barked an unheard command behind the ice, and the iceberg _exploded. _

Steam, dust and snow were flung everywhere

When Rukia was revealed, she now stood a good head or so taller, around the 5'10 mark.

Clutched tightly in her right hand was a massive, double edged scythe with a blood red edge. Her hair had turned lavender, as had her eyes. Her sandals had dissapeared sometime during the transformation. Her hakama was no longer black, instead it was the purest shade of white, and red on the inside. It was far from natural, tattered at the sleeves, shoulders, and even more so at the bottom, showing off long and slender legs.

If anything else, her body had grown as well.

She had...

Matured.

She now looked like a full grown woman. A tattered yellow sash was tied around her waist, which now strained against the kimono-like robes she was wearing. The upper half of her new attire was pushed out quite a bit as well. Basically she now rivaled Rangiku in _that _department.

**"Sode no Shirayuki: Kyousei Koori-hime."(Great flowing Ice Princess) **She murmurred, as the snowflakes stopped falling. She rose off her knees, and stood tall, with a confidence she had never displayed before.

A small smile curved her full lips upward.

"Now, about that arm-

For the next ten seconds, Yammy was vastly overpowered. Less than a second after she spoke, his arm was lopped off, and she appeared behind him, to viciously kick him in the face.

He fired off a cero, but she _screamed _and it bounced right back into his face. The impact created a cloud of smoke, and Yammy staggered at it. Rukia smiled that sarcastic smile of hers, and hefted her scythe to the right.

"You're a sturdy one. This might take-

She suddenly stiffened, and grasped at her face.

From there, Yammy proceeded to violently beat her, as she was now not even moving. Every hit hurt Ichigo emotionally, and with every cry of pain, his reaitsu went just a little higher. By the time Urahara and a tan woman whom he did not know, came to rescue Rukia, he was exuding a massive amount of killer intent.

_"Bastard bastard bastard!"_

Luna cast him a glance, as did the rest of his fraccion.

They all shared one thought.

_'Why is he so angry?'_

His power died down only slightly when Yammy was summarily owned by the tan woman. When he was made a fool of for everyone to see, Ichigo felt just a little bit better.

"I see. So you decided she wasn't worth killing."

As Ulquiorra spoke, Ichigo's blood began to boil.

_"Shut up you fucker! You say one more bad thing about her and I'll-_

_Enough Ichigo! Don't pick a fight with him!_

In the background, Grimmjow began to argue with Ulquiorra over not killing Rukia. Now Ichigo was all but furious. He was barely suppressing his reaitsu, and if not for Endria's Kido abilities, everyone would have noticed it.

_"The hell?! I can kick emo boy's ass into next week!"_

_Trust me, you do not want to fight him._

_"But you saw what they did! The-_

_Not yet. _She stated with authority.

His body was suddenly no longer his own to move. It felt as if he was afire, and the air refused to pass through his lungs. He was beginning to suffocate, but he was released from the mysterious bind a second later.

He forced himself to slowly breathe in and out, whereas his body just wanted to greedily gulp down the air.

_"Just how many abilities do you have?"_

_Many. But my skill depends on your willingness to battle. If you have the willpower, I can keep you going for at least a day, but doing so would likely kill you._

_"Oh."_

_Tell me Ichigo, do you know the meaning of my name? _

_"Your name?"_

_Endriago. It translates to sacred princess. That is what I am to you, correct?_

_"Um...yeah, I guess."_

_Good. _She sounded satisfied. _Everyone's starting to leave now._ C_almly get up and walk out-_

"Ichigo."

The strawberry blond froze, as did his fraccion, who refused to leave his side. Aizen descended from his throne, to approach the primera. His hand upon Ichigo's shoulder felt like ice.

"You seem troubled."

"..."

He was met with silence.

"Have you picked out all your fraccion yet?"

"Not really. I still have one more door to go."

"You'd best be careful then. She's only recently been sealed today."

He released his hold on Ichigo.

"I hope you enjoy her company."

_--_

He stood before the door, and an ominous foreboding emanated from it. He looked back towards his fraccion and shrugged

How bad could it be?

He entered-

---

And found himself right where he had started.

"What the-

A large tremor now shook the grounds. The door was slammed open, revealing an out of breath Grimmjow.

"Dumbass! We got company! Its the privaron!"

"Privaron?"

"The former espada! They're attacking, and some vasto lorde are backing em up!"

"Hey, wait-

"He'll be right there." Luna, who was suddenly next to him replied.

Grimmjow just rolled his shoulders and took off down the hall. He was headed towards the outer dome, where the sounds of fighting could now be heard.

"Why did you say that?" Questioned Ichigo.

"I simply want to test my abilities." Stated Luna.

He blinked, and she was gone.

"And I wish to see _yours_ as well."

--

As he ran, he found the rest of his fraccion running beside him, with Luna conspicuously absent.

"When did you-

KKRAM!

The wall exploded, and he was given an exit.

--

The outer dome was witness to pure chaos.

The air was rife with cero's and bala's, the likes of which stained the air in various hues of colors. Fountains of gore would spray here and there occasionally at times, indicating someone had been hit.

It was into this chaos that Ichigo and company emerged. Ggio put herself into a feral crouch, her nails digging at the ground. Clearly she was just itching to fight, and it was only her subservience to Ichigo that kept her in check.

But just barely.

"Um...Go?" He gave the uncertain command, and she pounced down to the sands below, drawing her zanpaktou even as she fell, and cleaving an unlucky adjuchas in two before she hit the ground.

Ying and Yang however, maintained cool disposition, and stayed at his side. Their green eyes looked down upon the battle with indifference, as if this was a matter of triviality to them.

Several spikes of reishi bloomed into the air, and Ichigo almost immediately recognized Grimmjow. The sexta espada was amongst the first to release his zanpaktou.

Ichigo however, was loathe to fight in a battle he knew nothing about.

_Something is not right. _Cautioned Endria, as the trio watched the forces of Las Noches spill out onto the sands.

By this point, Ichigo knew to listen to his zanpaktou.

_"What's wrong?"_

_Company! _She hissed, and he _barely_ raised her in time to block.

Steel met steel, and sparks flew about.

Before him stood a woman with long flowing red hair. Her cold blue eyes reflected mild amusement, as did the slight smile she wore. Her mask fragment was a panel on her cheek, barely distinguishable from her skin.

Her zanpaktou was a long sword, longer than even his own, with a golden hilt.

"Oh, so _you're_ Aizen's new favorite?" She purred. "Why am I not surprised?"

"The hell does that mean?!" Snarled Ichigo, as he twirled, twisting Endria free of the clash.

She shouldered her blade over a bare shoulder, as her outfit left most of her upper body, with the exception of her breasts, out in the open. The attire she wore on her upper body was almost like a towel, whereas she wore the arrancar pants.

"I meant what I said. He'll use you just like the rest of us."

He was surprise when she extended a hand to him.

"Come with me Ichigo. Come with me, and let's experience true freedom, just like before!"

Her voice was hypnotic, but he somehow resisted.

"Before?! Who the hell're you?!"

She laughed, and began twirling her zanpaktou by its long chain.

"I see you don't remember me. Perhaps a fight will refresh your memory?"

Midway through spinning her blade, she surprised him by grasping at its long hilt, then _pulling_. The weapon came apart at the ends, revealing itself to be connected, and not one blade, but two. Their jagged edges gleamed in the moonlight.

"Snap off: Sirena."

"You ready, Ichigo?"

Brown eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Sorry, but I've never met you!"

Two blurs darted to the left and right.

The mysterious woman smiled sadly as Ying and Yang move to flank her.

She wore a sad look now.

"So...you really _don't _remember me. A pity, but I'm not surprised." Ichigo's response was to take up a stance. She suddenly seemed to be rather confident, despite the fact that it was three against one.

"Come on then! I'll make you remember."

_We'll end this quickly Ichigo. Just make use of teamwork, and you'll be able to pin her down._

As if reading Endria's thoughts, Chou smirked.

"Oh? I'm afraid my fight is only with Ichigo." She turned to Ying and Yang, a smile creeping up on her lovely face. "Ah, youth, so confident. Let us see if you two are so confident after _this_!"

_Ichigo stop her! She's going to release!_

As if sensing the danger, Yang and Ying had already moved to attack-

But it was a second too late.

"Scream: Sirena!"

A wave of white light blocked her from view...

And everything went black.

--

Black.

All he saw was blackness.

"Hello?"

"Its just you and I, Ichigo." She laughed at him. "I've been wanting to talk with you, ever since I found out you were alive."

He saw the massive claw coming nearly too late.

Endria cut it through like butter, but the image faded from sight.

"There's more where that came from!"

He raised his free hand to deflect whatever she was planning, and in doing so, seized her by the wrist. Dim red light began to shine through his fingertips.

This was...

_Yes! Like that! Focus your spirtual pressure!_

Two other lights, one a ruby red, the other a whitish blue, reflected in its eyes.

The red orb in his hand abruptly turned black.

The trio of lights merged into one, as he held out his palm, and they crossed their arms over his. The result would be a mighty blast, such that the spirit world had never seen.

The orbs became one, a blackish blue red sphere that danced and sparked madly.

_NOW! While the reiryoku is at its peak! RELEASE!_

He spoke, just as the orb lifted into the air.

"Cero...Oscuras!"

As everything went to hell, he raised his arms to block-

The wall of black fire that rushed to consume him...

_Hang on!_

--

The sphere of black that had encased the combatants now crumbled apart. A third of Las Noche's dome had been shattered in the blast, and although the self healing stone was beginning to mold shut, it was still an impressive feat.

Revealed from the smoke was an entirely unharmed Ichigo. He sported some burns at the arms and legs, but other than that, he was relatively unhurt.

She, however, was not so lucky.

She was badly burned all over her body, and her zanpaktou lay at her feet. Ichigo looked down at her an actually sad expression marring his features.

"Ow! She gasped out. "Can't you take it easy on me?!"

"You said you knew me. How is that?"

She laughed bitterly.

"It's just like you to forget. You always forget...

"What the hell?"

_Careful, she may be planning something..._

To make sure she did not, he planted a foot on her blade.

"I've been human my entire life, and I've never seen you before! What's this about my past?! Who are you?!"

"Exactly! We've known each other ever since we were kids! Hell, we even grew up together! Don't you recognize me? Do you remember who I am yet?"

"No I _don't_!" He insisted vehemently. "Tell me who you are!"

Wincing in pain, she picked herself up, and placed one hand across her chest as she spoke. The other reached up to her hair, and he got a good look at it. Her hair wasn't entirely red, but rather a dark ebony black, streaked with red.

"How about now?"

When he still did not respond, she spoke to him again. As she did, she reached up a hand to lovingly caress his right cheek. The sensation was warm, smooth almost, similair to what he had felt before.

He recoiled from the impact, and the scenery abruptly faded to blackness.

"My name is Chou, remember? Ichigo, I've really missed you-

She brought his face close to his-

And her lips covered his own.

For a second he succumbed to the pleasureable feeling-

Then he recoiled violently.

"Whoa whoa whoa! The hell was that?!"

"Don't you remember Ichigo?" She laughed softly, moving forward to run a finger up and down his chest, an action which sent a shiver running down his spine. "You and I, we're lovers."

"EH?!"

** Lovers?! Who is Chou, and how does she know Ichigo? For a pic of what she looks like, go to: Bleach: Chou by ~Ivicic47 at deviantart.**


End file.
